Barrow backs John Lewis -- not Nancy Pelosi -- in speakership vote

John Barrow supported a Democrat for U.S. House Speaker on Wednesday, but not the leading Democratic candidate.The Savannah Democrat voted for Rep. John Lewis of Georgia instead of outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.In a vote that was a foregone conclusion except for the exact total, Republican John Boehner of Ohio defeated Pelosi, 241-173.The GOP leader has been the speaker in waiting since the Republicans won control of the House in the Nov. 2 elections.All 241 Republicans voted for Boehner, but about 20 Democrats failed to support Pelosi. One of them was Sanford Bishop of Albany, who voted “present.”Eleven voted for Heath Shuler of North Carolina.A spokeswoman for Barrow, one of two members to vote for Lewis — who backed Pelosi — did not respond to a request for comment late Wednesday.Barrow had been criticized by Republicans for his support of Pelosi in three previous speakership elections.Re-elected on Nov. 2, he declined during his campaign to say whether he would vote for Pelosi this time. But he said after the election that he would not vote for her again as speaker or leader of the House Democrats.